KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Susquehanna

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) had its price target lowered by Susquehanna from $215.00 to $190.00 in a research report released on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on KLAC. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of KLA in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $220.00) on shares of KLA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Thursday. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of KLA in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $180.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of KLA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.35.

KLA Trading Down 5.7%

KLAC opened at $157.91 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.45. KLA has a 12 month low of $107.20 and a 12 month high of $307.37. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $178.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KLA will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KLA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from KLA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. KLA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KLA

In related news, EVP MaryBeth Wilkinson sold 13,802 shares of KLA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $2,698,291.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,322,505. The trade was a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Virendra Kirloskar sold 4,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.50, for a total value of $880,532.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,972 shares in the company, valued at $1,558,526. The trade was a 36.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 243,339 shares of company stock valued at $46,903,454. Corporate insiders own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KLAC. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in KLA by 36.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of KLA during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of KLA by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of KLA by 2,275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 95 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atomic Invest LLC boosted its stake in KLA by 781.8% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 97 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KLA News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA reported fiscal Q1 2027 revenue of approximately $4.14 billion and earnings of $1.22 per share, exceeding Wall Street expectations of $4.04 billion and $1.18 per share. Revenue increased 28.9% year over year, marking the company’s 10th consecutive quarter of growth. KLAC Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued fiscal Q2 revenue guidance of $4.5 billion to $4.9 billion, implying roughly $4.7 billion at the midpoint versus consensus of $4.5 billion. EPS guidance of $1.33 to $1.55 also brackets or exceeds the $1.36 consensus estimate, reinforcing expectations for continued AI-driven demand. KLA Q2 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Demand for wafer inspection, process-control and advanced-packaging equipment is benefiting from the increasing complexity of AI chips and the construction of leading-edge semiconductor fabs. Argus reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $225 price target, while JPMorgan raised its target to $240 and maintained Overweight. Advanced Packaging Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed. Several firms lowered price targets after earnings—including Wells Fargo, Needham, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald, Susquehanna and UBS—citing valuation, structural share headwinds or a more cautious risk-reward profile, even though many retained positive or neutral ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: KLAC is declining in sympathy with semiconductor shares as investors question whether elevated AI infrastructure spending can continue at its current pace. The pullback also leaves the stock below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, increasing near-term technical pressure despite the strong operating outlook. KLA Shares Weaken as Semiconductor Stocks Fall

KLA Company Profile

KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company’s product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.